Dishcourse

The Dishcourse Project (2015) grew out of the desire to send out dishes to people to be used in a shared meal. Upon receipt of the dish set, the home cook was prompted to create a dish or meal; a complete meal or just a course/snack, that in their opinion best fits the function and content of the set. My intention was that handmade ceramics would encourage a more thoughtful presentation than commercial wares. I believe that hastily made food disagreed with a one-of-a-kind plate. By sending the dishes I motivated sitting down to eat slower and improve the enjoyment of food.

The idea for this piece is that all diners would eat from the same set to explore presentation, food sharing and intimacy in eating. The received feedback had two major impacts. First, it affirmed the use of minimal surface decoration and monochromatic glazes per piece to emphasize the colors of the food. Second, interest for the dishes is greater when paired with the personal authorship of the maker. One recipient published a photograph of her plated meal on Facebook. While sharing pictures of food on social media is commonplace in current society, the reactions were not. Her contacts commented inquiring about the recipes. My contacts commented about the unusual arrangement of the stacking dishes. From the conversation on social media I concluded the artist’s presence in the interaction was a crucial element to promote interest in the object.